3 ms·

These news and reader apps have so much high value audience interest data that they should be very valuable (in theory), given enough engaged users, especially

by nugget 11y ago

These news and reader apps have so much high value audience interest data that they should be very valuable (in theory), given enough engaged users, especially on mobile. Are they struggling to leverage the data to monetize for fear of alienating users? What's the disconnect here?

chippy 11y ago
My theory is that it's a problem with the very nature of "news" with human psychology. In short it's that The News is about sensation, what's new, what's uncommon. It's not essential for any of us to read the news every day ultimately. If someone important happens we will hear from it on our other channels incidentally. I suspect that none of us actually enjoy reading the news or watching tv news. So - a news startup which needs mass appeal to take off has to appeal to all the same users that currently consumes news, right? But, given the opportunity on the internet people tend to avoid the normal sensationalist news if they are getting it somewhere else, why should I want to go to a news aggregator? I believe there to be the disconnect because it's about targeting the mass market - but it seems as if more niche sites with niche audiences tend to be more successful. I also suspect that news aggegrators pitch by saying "look at all this news! See how many sources the news comes from! Witness how our solution makes it easier to consume" without addressing why someone consumes the news.
- antsar 11y ago
  > why should I want to go to a news aggregator Why are you here? Admittedly, HN is about 40% news and 60% links to interesting tech stuff. But who said a "news aggregator" has to be 100% news?
  - chippy 11y ago
    (edits because xmas) HackerNews is not mass market, HackerNews is niche. HN is also not "The News" that one would read in these VC backed startups. So I am here because this is a successful niche site which is not a VC backed mass market site :-)

by nugget 11y ago

chippy 11y ago

My theory is that it's a problem with the very nature of "news" with human psychology. In short it's that The News is about sensation, what's new, what's uncommon. It's not essential for any of us to read the news every day ultimately. If someone important happens we will hear from it on our other channels incidentally. I suspect that none of us actually enjoy reading the news or watching tv news. So - a news startup which needs mass appeal to take off has to appeal to all the same users that currently consumes news, right? But, given the opportunity on the internet people tend to avoid the normal sensationalist news if they are getting it somewhere else, why should I want to go to a news aggregator? I believe there to be the disconnect because it's about targeting the mass market - but it seems as if more niche sites with niche audiences tend to be more successful. I also suspect that news aggegrators pitch by saying "look at all this news! See how many sources the news comes from! Witness how our solution makes it easier to consume" without addressing why someone consumes the news.

antsar 11y ago
> why should I want to go to a news aggregator Why are you here? Admittedly, HN is about 40% news and 60% links to interesting tech stuff. But who said a "news aggregator" has to be 100% news?
- chippy 11y ago
  (edits because xmas) HackerNews is not mass market, HackerNews is niche. HN is also not "The News" that one would read in these VC backed startups. So I am here because this is a successful niche site which is not a VC backed mass market site :-)